Big Shifts at OpenAI: Leaders Go, Projects End

Three top leaders left OpenAI on the same day. The moves come as the company drops several experimental projects, including its video tool Sora and a science research group. The pattern shows that most of the original founders are no longer in the company, with many former staff moving to rivals like Anthropic and Meta. The departures include Kevin Weil, who had moved from Instagram to run a science team at OpenAI. He stepped down after leading a life‑science model that was released just before he left. Bill Peebles, the person who built Sora from scratch, said his time there was a big adventure. He also noted that the project sparked more video investment across the industry, even though it never made money. Srinivas Narayanan, who grew the engineering team for enterprise applications, said he was leaving to spend more time with his family.

Sora’s shutdown is a clear sign that OpenAI is focusing on revenue‑generating products. The tool had about one million users at its peak, but it cost the company roughly a million dollars per day to run. The company also faced legal concerns over copyright infringement. While Sora was not profitable, it did help the industry move forward in AI video. The science team is being merged into other research groups. OpenAI’s strategy now centers on its core offerings: ChatGPT and the API for businesses. The company is scaling back projects that do not directly contribute to enterprise sales, which have become a larger part of its income. The exodus is not just about projects. Many senior executives have left over the past two years, and only two of the original founders remain. Former staff are joining competitors who are building similar products. Some leaders cited ethical worries about defense contracts, while others noted a shift from bold research to day‑to‑day product maintenance. The changes highlight that OpenAI is turning into a company focused on short‑term gains rather than long‑term innovation.

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